Northwest Mansion Romance
by InRainville
Summary: Six years into the future, Pacifica's relationship to Dipper and Mabel deepens. Reviews appreciated! Pacifica x Dipper, Pacifica x Mabel.
1. Welcome to the after-party

It was past midnight in mid-May, and the last big storm of the season was roaring through Gravity Falls, making the evergreens toss and sway on the mountains and creating miniature waterfalls on the sheer cliffs on the road up to the Northwest Mansion.

Not that it had stopped the procession of cars hauling dozens of kids from the senior prom to Pacifica's after-party. She hadn't done much to the outside of the house, but the great hall was pounding with music and flashing with lasers as they'd entered. Teams of servants circulated with trays of canapes, miniature desserts and drinks, while ushers quietly removed those who were too rowdy or drunk to properly participate. It was all a smashing success, and part of Pacifica had grinned inwardly with satisfaction at her plans coming together, even as another part of her ran around with her boyfriend and best friend, giddy with joy in just being alive.

Of course, simply throwing the most epic party in the history of Gravity Falls had been the easy part of the evening. The really tricky part was yet to come.

She moved through the hall, which was nearly empty except for a few couples slow-dancing to low, soft music. The lights were nearly off, leaving only the glow from the fireplace to shine off of Pacifica's hair and floor-length red satin gown. Nobody noticed as she climbed the staircase up to the off-limits areas of the house where her family actually lived.

Mother and Father weren't at home, naturally - they would have never tolerated being in the same building as the riff-raff from the local high school. It had been a titanic struggle for the past five years just to get them to allow her to go to public school, and they'd nearly shipped her off to a private Swiss boarding school - or disowned her entirely - more than once.

Part of her had been relieved, even eager, at the thought of being completely free of her parents. Every new adventure she'd been on with Dipper and Mabel had given her a little more self-confidence, and after she'd survived the town's final, titanic battle with Bill, she knew nothing on Earth could stand in her way. Even if she had to start at the very bottom, waitressing at the diner or working as a cashier at the Mystery Shack, she knew it wouldn't be long before she'd be on top again...

...and Dipper and Mabel would be at her side.

But another part of her had dug in her heels. The Northwest legacy was tarnished and corrupt, but it was rightfully hers and she knew she could do good with it. So however cunning Father had been, she'd been just a bit more cunning, digging deep into her family's rotten past and corrupt present to cajole, bribe and blackmail her father to get her own way. And the part of her that was good at planning and plotting and scheming was satisfied, even pleased, to claim her life and her heritage for herself, even as the other part was heartbroken at her fraying relationship with her parents, crying into the phone during long midnight calls with Mabel and Dipper in Piedmont.

Now Mother and Father's rooms were dark and empty as she walked past them, stopping briefly to watch the rain running down windows on the far wall. At this point there was just a dull ache when she thought of her parents at all - her real family was the Pines now, and they were always there for her, even if they weren't always in Gravity Falls.

Not that they wouldn't be here, tonight of all nights. As Dipper's energy faded throughout the evening, she'd steered her date up to the mansion library, telling him she'd join him as soon as she was done with her hostess duties. And here he was, surrounded by a pile of dusty leather books on the myth and lore of the area, recharged as ever by the mysteries of the unknown.

She smiled. He'd need his energy for the next bit.

"Is there anything weirder in those books than what we've already been through?"

Dipper looked up, startled at her entrance, and then stood up from the arm chair, smoothing his hair and straightening his tuxedo jacket. At just eighteen, he was as tall as his Grunkle Stan, if not as broad-shouldered. Still, it was the way he smiled at her, and the light in his eyes, that made her heart skip a beat.

"Not really, just... oh." He stopped speaking as she took his hand and pulled him out of the room without saying a word, down the hall to her room, and her bed.

She seated him down next to her, and kissed him, hands caressing his face. Dipper was a shy boy who'd become a gentle, considerate man - when they made out, or cuddled, she could feel him trembling with desire for her, but he'd never once pushed her to go further than she felt comfortable with.

Which is why it was up to her to move things forward tonight, removing his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt, then pushing him back on the bed and starting to work on his belt and pants.

"Pacifica... is... are you sure this is what you want?" She could hear the catch in his breath as she finished stripping him bare, leaving him long and lean on her bedspread. Part of her was nervous, heart pounding, almost trembling. She'd never seen him this way before. But it was the other part of her that took a moment to enjoy the view, and nodded without hesitation.

"Just like we planned, sweetie," she said, removing her long gloves and reaching behind her back to undo the zipper on the gown, which fell to the floor in one smooth motion. Now it was Dipper's turn to enjoy the view, and she was pleased and thrilled at the expression on his face as he took in the lingerie she'd bought just for tonight.

Knowing Dipper and Mabel over the years had drained Pacifica of most of her youthful pride and arrogance; the more times she'd seen the serious little dweeb and his obnoxious sister with the godawful sweaters save the town, the more she realized how empty her family's wealth truly was, and how meaningless her fake reputation. What Pacifica had left was her smarts and brutal honesty, and she knew that she wasn't flattering herself when she looked in the mirror and saw the face and body of a supermodel. And part of her, when planning and pondering tonight, had wondered whether Dipper knew how lucky he was... but the other part of her knew that she'd never, ever find a man who loved her as much as Dipper did, loved her for reasons she couldn't understand or couldn't believe when he tried to tell her.

She loved him. She wanted to be with him with all her heart. She'd planned this for months, if not years, at some level, and they both climbed under the covers and, for the first time, did things they'd only thought about...

...well, it was the 21st century, of course. For all she knew, Dipper might have watched just as much internet porn as every other man his age, although she would have bet not, given how hard he blushed and how nervous he got when their conversation got anywhere near the topic of sex. As for Pacifica, she'd been watching HBO shows and stealing her mother's trashy romance paperbacks before she'd ever even met Dipper. So the broad outlines of what they should do - where he should touch and kiss, where she should do the same - were familiar, and part of her tried to guide him, tried to steer things in the cold, clinical ways she'd seen on tv.

But it didn't work that way. It was the giggly, frightened part of her that ended up talking them both through what was happening, laughing and encouraging and smiling through the awkward, painful bits of two virgins trying this new thing for the first time.

And for their efforts, there was a short time at the end - no more than a minute, if that - where it all came together and instinct took over and she felt the sensations and feelings that books and movies and tv utterly failed to do justice to. She looked up at him as they came together, and brushed the tears from his face, and brushed the tears from hers, and nodded, unable to speak, when he said "I love you", and held him close beside her and listed to the rain outside and her pounding heartbeat inside while he fell asleep in her arms.


	2. Cherchez la Femme

Half an hour later, maybe longer, lying beside him in bed, part of her was still reeling from what had happened. It had gone just as she'd hoped, and she couldn't be happier... but it still felt as if she'd had a huge weight dropped on her... or maybe a huge weight had been lifted. Everything felt different, even if everything - her room, her life, her feelings for Dipper - was exactly the same. Part of her wanted to stay here, perhaps not sleep at all tonight, just stay awake and wonder at the mystery she'd seen here.

It was the other part of her, the planning, calculating, greedy part of her that made her get out of bed, gently, quietly so as not to wake Dipper, and gather her clothes, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

She wanted more. Both parts did, even if only one of them was brave enough to push for it.

She stopped at the bathroom to quickly wash herself at the sink, making Dipper's smell, and the smell of what they'd just been doing, go away. She dressed in her gown again, brushed her hair back to something more manageable, and wiped away the little makeup that had smeared.

Part of her was pleased to note that she didn't actually need much makeup to look gorgeous.

She walked back down the bedroom halls to the stairway, and the great hall, the hem of her gown sweeping carpet and hardwood floors behind her.

She smiled as she saw the one person in the world she most wanted to see, eyes closed, arms wrapped around herself, swaying gently to the music in front of the embers of the fireplace.

"Are you the last one left?" Pacifica asked, momentarily startling Mabel from her dance.

Mabel smiled when she saw Pacifica's face, and at that smile, Pacifica's heart skipped a beat once more. When they'd first met, Mabel had been inarguably cute (even if Pacifica would never have admitted it at the time). Six years later, Mabel wasn't classically beautiful the way Pacifica was, but there was something about her smile, about her face, about the way she wore her vintage 80's peach prom dress that made her beyond cute, beyond beautiful. In some way, Mabel was the most perfect woman Pacifica could have ever imagined.

"I think so," Mabel replied, stretching unselfconsciously, completely unaware of the effect she was having on Pacifica. "Grenda and Marius left a while back. Candy fled her legion of admirers before that, even. I was having so much fun I just didn't want it to end, but I guess it's about time to let the evening go..."

"Well I'm glad you're still here," Pacifica said, reaching out and taking Mabel's hand. "Dipper fell asleep upstairs and, well..." she reached out with her other arm, grabbing Mabel's waist and bringing her closer. "Can I have this dance?"

Mabel threw her head back and laughed. "Suuurre," she sighed. "At least I'll end the evening not dancing by myself."

Pacifica reached up in the air and snapped her fingers, once. "House," she said, loudly and clearly, "Play 'Up in the Air' by Cherchez la Femme."

A soft romantic ballad began to play, nothing but women's voices and a backing guitar. Mabel laughed again as Pacifica began to lead them in a dance, slowly spinning back and forth. "Cherchez la Femme! Gosh, I had almost forgotten about them... that was, what four summers ago? Three?"

"Four," Pacifica corrected her. "I guess when Sev'ral Timez was that successful, you can't blame Bratzman for wanting to see if he could do it with an all-girl group." She paused. "Still don't understand why they ended up turning into giant butterflies, though..."

Mabel shook her head. "Me neither... maybe something about them being clones?" She sighed again. "Their music's still not bad, though."

They didn't speak for the rest of the song, and part of Pacifica just let herself enjoy the dance, the warmth and softness of Mabel's body pressed against her, the swish of their skirts rubbing against each other and momentarily swirling together as they changed the direction of the spin. She almost hated the other part of herself for distracting from the moment, steering them to just the right spot as the song ended.

As planned, the house computer played another song by the same group, this one even slower and softer. Without any prompting, Mabel pulled closer to Pacifica, putting her head on the taller woman's shoulder as they rocked back and forth in place.

"Your date left?" Pacifica asked after a moment.

She felt Mabel shake her head without lifting it up. "Yeah... he was fun and all, but I guess most Piedmont people just can't handle it up here in Gravity Falls. Besides, he just couldn't keep up with my awesome breakdancing moves..."

Pacifica snorted laughter, and stroked Mabel's hair. "Nobody can, sweetie."

The music ended, and they stood still for a moment, still embracing before Mabel pulled back, wiping a tear away from her cheek with the back of her hand. Pacifica reached out and took Mabel's face in her hands, looked into her eyes for a moment, then leaned in for the kiss.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but stretched out wonderfully in Pacifica's head. She could feel Mabel's reaction go through three separate and distinct phases: first a pleasant, somewhat rigid acceptance, perhaps laced with the assumption that this was just a momentary peck between friends. Second, Mabel relaxed, leaning into the kiss, opening up her mouth and reaching with her tongue and responding to Pacifica's own insistent vibe that this was more than just a friendly smooch. Lastly Mabel pulled back - but not as quick as she might have, part of her clearly still wanting the kiss to linger, even as her conscious mind realized who she was kissing.

Pacifica felt a shiver of excitement as their lips parted - she knew she wanted Mabel, and had thought that Mabel might want her back, but this was the closest she'd gotten to actual proof of Mabel's feelings.

"Pacifica! What... what are you doing?!" Mabel started to back away, but Pacifica caught her hand. "You... you're Dipper's girlfriend! And I'm... I..."

"Mabel, wait." Pacifica strengthened her grip on Mabel's hand, and stopped Mabel from walking back further. "I know it was surprising, but, I just... I felt it in the moment and I'd just like to talk with you." Pacifica sat down on the chaise lounge she'd maneuvered them over to during the dance. She looked up at Mabel, and asked, "Please can you sit? Can we just talk for a minute? Please?"

Mabel's face was a picture of doubt, but Pacifica was again thrilled to realize she wasn't actually pulling away. After a moment Mabel sat down besides her on the lounge, not facing towards Pacifica but allowing both her hands to be held by Pacifica's.

"Mabel," Pacifica started, "I guess I just wanted to say that I... love you. And Dipper. You two mean more to me than anything else in the world."

"I love you too, Pacifica," said Mabel, turning her head to look in Pacifica's eyes. "But as a friend. You're Dipper's... and I'm his sister, we can't..."

"Mabel, wait, just listen." She pulled Mabel's arms gently, turning her so they faced each other more directly.

"Look... you and Dipper changed my life. Completely. You don't even know, I... You saved my life more than once, but even if we'd never met, I'd be a totally different person without you. I'd be like my mother, or father, or the worst of both, and sometimes I can't sleep at night because I'm so disgusted over what I might have been, or because I'm so happy to be like you... to be worthy of you."

Pacifica closed her eyes for a moment, straightened her back, then looked directly into Mabel's eyes and plowed ahead.

"So when I say I love you, I mean you are... primal to me. You are part of my heart and if I ever lost you I'd feel like something was ripped out of me. And I generally don't look at women and get turned on but I look at you and you are just... so, so beautiful to me! I can't even express it, it's just that when I want to kiss you, when I want to be with you it's not about sex or desire so much as it's just... I can't imagine any other way to even begin to show you how much you mean to me."

"And maybe you're not into women, but I just wondered... Mabel, sweetie, how many boyfriends have you had in the past five, six years?"

Mabel looked down, and answered softly, quickly, with a figure that was clearly always at the top of her mind. "Nineteen." She sniffed. "God, I can really pick 'em, right? So many freakin' nomes, or mermen, or guys obsessed with puppets or somebody who was a hologram or an alien or a time traveler..."

"And..." Mabel sniffed, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, looking away from Pacifica before continuing in a whisper. "It's not that I haven't thought about... girls, especially after the disaster my dating life's been. I could be a LUG, you know, in college next year. It's just... you... I... I have thought about it, we're so great together and you're so beautiful..." She lifted her head and looked at Pacifica, tears welling in her eyes. "But you're Dipper's girlfriend, and I could never, _ever_ hurt him by taking someone he loved away from him..."

"Mabel, you're not taking me away from anybody. I'm not leaving Dipper for anything, but I... I just can't be dishonest with myself anymore. It hurts me to be this close to you and not be with you, and I especially can't do it now that I know you want me back. Look, we'll figure it out, we'll find the right way and the right time and we'll tell him together, in a way that doesn't scare him or drive him away, because I couldn't stand that either. But if you love me and you want me now, can we just... can we just be together right now, and figure out everything later? Please?"

Mabel's eyes were flooded with tears, and she nodded, unable to speak. Pacifica felt a moment of deja vu, and then Mabel was leaning into her, kissing her and grabbing her hair and neck tightly, like a drowning woman grabbing a lifeline.

Unlike with Dipper, Pacifica had no road map for this - she'd known she wanted to be with Mabel for months, maybe for years, but when she thought about what they'd be like together, it was just a vague yearning, and not a specific fantasy. The planning part of her had been worried, was still worried about how it would play out...

...but the other part of her was just happy to be with Mabel, and when she looked at Mabel she saw someone just as nervous and eager as herself. If being with Dipper was a hike up a mountain, working hard just for the view at the top, Mabel was a long walk with a friend, holding hands, up and down hills.

It's not that there wasn't passion - Mabel naked was even more lovely than Dipper, and there was an electricity when they held each other close, moving against each other, rubbing and kissing and taking small breaks to hold still, look into each other's eyes, and stretch out the moment as long as possible. But there wasn't the anxiety there had been with Dipper, just pleasure and love. And at the end, when they were resting exhausted together, there was laughter, starting with sidelong glances and giggles and building to helpless, silent cackles, shoulders shaking that they'd wandered together into... this, whatever it was.


	3. Semi-awkward sibling-and-girlfriend hug

When they'd calmed down, Pacifica rose from the chaise lounge and retrieved a glass of water and a pair of silk wraps they covered themselves with, sitting side by side again.

"So... that was..."

"Yeah!" Pacifica answered, setting off another chain of giggles from the two of them. "That was..."

"I want to do it again. Soon." Mabel cut in.

"Me too!"

"It's just... everything's perfect, except I keep worrying about Dipper. I've had to break all kinds of news to him, but I don't even know how to start with this..."

"Start with what?" Dipper's voice was distant, still coming from the top of the stairs, with Dipper out of view. But Mabel's face turned pale and completely unmoored. More than once, Pacifica had been with Mabel when they thought Dipper dead, or worse, but she'd never seen Mabel this afraid.

And Pacifica hadn't planned for this, had thought they'd have weeks or months to slowly work on Dipper, to get him used to the idea that his sister and his girlfriend might be more than best friends. She wasn't ready for him to be here, to see them like this...

...but there was no time, and he was there in front of them, flicking on a light switch before she could do anything, his expression changing from a drowsy grin to a hurt, betrayed look she'd never, ever wanted to see.

"What are you... Mabel, why are you... together like this, you can't have, I..." Dipper's voice rose in volume and pitch until it was almost a squeal, reverting back to the squeaky-voiced kid he'd been at the beginning.

"Dipper, I'm sorry, I..." Mabel started, but Dipper kept talking over her, bits and pieces of their voices weaving together in a tapestry of anger and sorrow and confusion. "With her? With my girlfriend? How could you, I..." "It just happened, I wasn't planning on it..." "You're my _sister_, the _one_ person I trusted..." "Didn't want to hurt you, I swear, it's the last thing I ever wanted, you mean so much to me..." "The one person I loved, of all the selfish things you've done, all the times I sacrificed for you, this..." "I'm _sorry_, Dipper, _please_, I can't take it you being this angry..."

"Stop it! _Stop it_! Please..." And Pacifica threw herself between them, against Dipper's chest, pushing him back to put some space between Dipper's rage and Mabel's pain. "Dipper, look, look at me!" She grabbed his face and forced his eyes to lock with hers.

"This was _my_ fault. _My_ idea, m_y_ plan. If you're going to blame someone, if you're going to hate someone, hate _me_."

Dipper's face suddenly flashed with an intense anger she'd only ever seen pointed towards literal demons. "What makes you think I don't blame you, Pacifica?" he spat.

"GOOD!" She screamed, setting everybody back, making them pause for a moment. "Good," she continued, calmer, more focused, hugging the silk wrap around herself and looking down.

"I'm the one who deserves to be blamed for everything that's happened tonight. If either of you has any doubts about that, don't. It's all on me. But... Dipper, I love you. Nothing's changed about that. I slept with you tonight because you're one of the two most important people in my life. And I did the same with Mabel because she's the _only_ other person who means as much to me."

"Dipper... Dipper, look," she said, taking his hands with hers and moving her face down and to the side, so she could keep looking at him, even as he turned away. "I'm yours, Dipper. You don't own me, but I've given myself to you, and that will never go away. You and Mabel... you have such a strong bond, but I've never felt threatened by it. And Mabel and I, whatever happens with us, she'll always be your twin sister. Nothing that happens between the two of us changes how she feels about you, or how I feel about you."

She could see him calming, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. She stepped closer, putting her arms around him, and her head on his shoulder. "Mabel and I... we love each other, just like you and I do. I don't know whether it's something I need or just something I really, really want, but... it hurts me not to be with her. And she..."

"I need her too, Dipper," Mabel said, looking up from the couch, a determined expression on her face even as she sat hunched over, arms around her middle as if she was in physical pain, cheeks streaked with tears. "I haven't had what you and she have had for the past few years, but that doesn't mean I don't want it. And you know that she spends almost as much time with me as with you these days, and we talk and text even more than you do. After everything we've been through, she's almost as close to me as you are."

"We made a mistake," she continued, getting up and moving towards the two of them. "We handled it wrong, I should have talked to you first. I should have been honest with myself about how much I wanted this, so it didn't even get this far before we talked. And if you want us to stop, Dipper, I will. If you think this hurts what you and Pacifica have, then I swear I won't do anything else. I'll leave you two if you want, go away, you don't even have to see me anymore. But, Dipper, please, if you could just let us see where this goes, let us try to see what she and I can be, at the same time you and her are together... I'd..." she sobbed, and kept going, almost at a whisper. "I'd really like to try."

Dipper turned his back on the two of them and stepped out of the light. He was quiet for a few seconds, no more than ten or fifteen, but it felt like an eternity to Pacifica. She was about to start speaking again when she heard him start to talk.

"I guess..." he sighed. "I guess we already share a birthday. Maybe... maybe, we could try to share a girlfriend too."

Before she could say anything, Mabel brushed past her, throwing her arms around Dipper, who hugged his sister back and leaned over to gently kiss the top of her head.

The room blurred and Pacifica became dizzy; without thinking she fell back onto the couch, wiping tears from her eyes. Her thoughts were no longer coherent, her emotions a complete mess. She was mostly happy - ecstatic, even - but it was mixed with relief and leftover stress and worry and fear. The emotional white noise was a new experience that left her drained... although for once, she wasn't debating everything back and forth in her head. She didn't look up until she felt two weights settle down on either side of her, Dipper on her right and Mabel on her left.

"I'm so, so sorry I risked everything like this, but I'm so grateful you two put up with me..." she started. Mabel shushed her, and lay her head on her shoulder. Dipper put his arm around them both.

"Pacifica, you've always been selfish, cold, calculating and... just the worst, really." Pacifica snorted laughter. "But I know... _we_ know, these days, that you're doing it out of love, crazy as that sounds. Whatever you are now, you're ours."

"Yeah!" Mabel agreed, even as she kept wiping tears from her face. She looked across at Dipper. "Semi-awkward sibling-and-girlfriend hug?"

"Semi-awkward sibling-and-girlfriend hug," Dipper nodded, and Pacifica found herself wrapped in a strong, loving squeeze from both sides.

They stayed there for a while, listening to the low crackle of the fire and the distant storm sounds of rain and wind on the roof. In the warmth and closeness, Pacifica was almost about to nod off when she realized she literally had no plans left - everything she'd been working towards for years was accomplished, and she had everything she could ever want right here.

She had no idea what would happen next, or where they'd go from here. But she felt a building excitement that was like learning to fly, and realized she couldn't wait to find out.

End.


End file.
